2017 NFL Draft: Week 6 Prospect Stock Report
Stock Down: Offense
Mitch Leidner (QB – Minnesota): In a game between two late-round quarterback prospects, both Iowa’s C.J. Beathard and Minnesota’s Mitch Leidner struggled. In the end, Leidner’s team wound up on the losing end and his 2017 NFL Draft stock took the biggest hit.
Both Big Ten schools have respectable secondaries, however an NFL-caliber QB would have performed much better than Leidner. He finished the game 13-of-33 for 166 yards and two interceptions. His ball placement and decision making were poor as the Hawkeyes could have had more than just two picks.
Leidner had plenty of opportunities late in the game to lead the Golden Gophers to a game-tying score, but failed. His accuracy became an even bigger issue in critical situations. On third down, Minnesota converted just once on nine attempts through the air. In the red zone, Leidner went 0-for-4.
At this point, Leidner is not a draftable prospect and will need to improve as the season winds down to have any chance of making an NFL roster.
Amba Etta-Tawo (WR – Syracuse): He still leads the FBS in receiving yards this season, but week six was not a good one for Syracuse wideout Amba Etta-Tawo. For the first time in his six-game career at Syracuse, he failed to gain 100 yards receiving.
At 5-1 Wake Forest has been one of the surprise teams this season, however the secondary is a weak spot. Even after the Demon Deacons shut down the Orange offense, the team still ranks 92nd in the nation in pass yards allowed per game. That makes it even more impressive that Wake Forest was the school to finally slow Etta-Tawo.
Etta-Tawo is following a very similar path as former West Virginia receiver Kevin White. White was a one-year wonder for the Mountaineers who put up video game type numbers in his senior season. After gaining at least 100 yards in the first seven games in 2014, White eclipsed the century mark just once in his final five regular season games.
Etta-Tawo, who is just 11 receptions and 63 yards away from surpassing his three-year career totals at Maryland, needs to avoid a similar close to his college career. He doesn’t have nearly the size or speed of White, and will likely end up being selected at some point on the final day of the 2017 NFL Draft.
DeShone Kizer (QB – Notre Dame): This will be the most controversial addition to the list as many view this as a throw-away game for any prospect who was a part of this contest. Notre Dame and North Carolina State battled it out in a hurricane, with the Fighting Irish once again coming out on the losing side.
The statistics for Kizer are very poor (9-of-26 for 54 yards), but that’s not a huge deal considering the conditions. The decline in his draft stock has more to do with his grip and the way the ball was coming out of his hands. He appeared to be very uncomfortable and unfamiliar with handling a wet football.
When looking at the NFL standings, two of the QB-needy teams who will be picking near the top of the 2017 NFL Draft are the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears. Both teams are very familiar with playing in the rain and poor conditions. With Kizer’s performance this past weekend, that could swing the pendulum in Deshaun Watson’s favor when it comes to being the first QB selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.